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October 2011 posts

Swedish Neuroscience Institute was awarded a 7-year, $2.2M grant by the National Institute of Neurological Disease and Stroke (NINDS) to participate in the NeuroNEXT program, a national consortium of 25 neuroscience centers of excellence that will conduct early-stage clinical trials. John W. Henson, MD, FAAN, and Daniel S. Rizzuto, PhD, will lead the effort at Swedish. Swedish Neuroscience Institute was the only non-university hospital chosen to participate, highlighting the value of Swedish’s investments in research and clinical infrastructure. For more information about NeuroNEXT click here

In light of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, The Shops at Swedish/Issaquah are hosting a unique, complimentary event for women on Tuesday, Oct. 25 from 6-9 p.m.

Are you one of the eight out of 10 women wearing the wrong size bra? Many women don’t realize that they should have a bra fit every year to ensure their size has not changed. Finding the right size bra can be very challenging and that’s why the experts as Perfect Fit are here to help. The right bra can change the way you look in your clothes and make you feel more confident.

With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the next weeks are a reminder to take time and care for your breast health. Please join us for our Perfect Fit event on Oct. 25 from 6-8 p.m. It’s a great opportunity to get fit and meet with our breast-health staff. The event will also feature appetizers by Tutta Bella, styling and seated chair massage by Gene Juarez, and a skin-care experience by Clarisonic. For more information, visit www.theshopsatswedish.org or call our Wellness Navigator at 425-313-7092.

Dr. Hochman joined Swedish management and SEIU yesterday morning at the negotiation table to address the recent announcement that the organization is pursuing a strategic affiliation with Providence Health and Services. After providing an overview of how this affiliation will improve health care quality, access and affordability for the residents of Western Washington, he answered a number of questions from union leadership and members of the bargaining unit.

Dr. Hochman emphasized several areas of the agreement including the fact that Swedish will retain its non-religious roots, that it will retain local control, including its relations with labor, and throughout the process will commit to the highest level of transparency with SEIU.

“We want to create the best healthcare delivery system in Western Washington,” Hochman explained, “and this partnership represents a local solution to a national problem and could become a national model on how to fix healthcare.”

Dr. Hochman noted the benefits of joining forces with Providence because of the shared mission of both organizations who already provide a staggering $205 million per year in uncompensated care and other community-benefit activities for Western Washington.

“Imagine how much more we can do – and how many more lives we can improve – by working together,” Hochman added.

Dr. Hochman underscored the fact that the affiliation is currently in the regulatory review stage and there are still many details to work out, and encouraged the parties to remain focused on reaching an agreement that will ensure the long term sustainability of Swedish since the union and Swedish have a shared and mutual interest in that goal.

What does it mean when you say, “You’re so smart!”? Are you telling someone they’re intelligent, clever, cunning, observant, ‘book’ smart, ‘street’ smart, adept, sharply painful?

What does your child hear if you say it to them? “Mom loves me be because I’m smart.”

How about if you tell your child, “You’re so cute!” or “You’re funny!”?

When we offer praise to a child we’re putting emphasis on a trait that we appreciate. Of course, we think our children are smart, cute, and funny, but what we really need to say are things like, “Wow! I really like how you worked on that puzzle to figure it out.” Being specific teaches them about what it is that we like and value.

Do we really want our child to grow up thinking that we value them for being ‘cute’?

These are some of the most challenging times in our country’s history for both health care and the economy. As Greater Seattle’s largest nonprofit provider, we believe it is Swedish’s responsibility to lead the region through these difficult times and serve the community no matter what the circumstances. Today, I am very proud to announce that Swedish is leading the way in partnership with Providence Health & Services. Both of our boards recently approved an innovative plan to join forces and form a new integrated health system to serve Western Washington.

There are still many details to be worked out, and the affiliation is pending regulatory review. But when finalized, our new system will dramatically improve health care for the region and serve as a local solution to the nation’s health-care crisis.

What makes our affiliation so innovative is that it is not a merger or acquisition. Rather, it is a unique structure that will allow us to work together to coordinate care for the region while respecting our individual identities and heritage.

In other words, Swedish will still be Swedish. We are keeping our name and will not become a Catholic organization. Likewise, Providence will still be Providence. They will keep their name and maintain their Catholic identity.

What will change, however, is that we will closely collaborate to coordinate care seamlessly for patients from Centralia to Seattle to Everett by:

Harnessing the power of electronic health records to better serve patients and improve clinical outcomes